Garden Veggie Egg Bake

Easter at Steve and Patty's. Our first holiday as parents, which sounds like it should feel monumental, and it did, but also it felt like Easter, which is to say: the smell of Babcia Rose's ham in the house from the front porch, Dziadek Wally at his place at the table, Steve arranging seating with the efficiency of someone who has thought about this more than he will admit, and Patty checking on the pierogi every four minutes because the pierogi are her responsibility and she takes this seriously.

Babcia Rose held both babies for the first time. She sat in her chair and Steve put Owen in her left arm and then Nora in her right arm and she looked down at them for a long moment and said something in Polish very quietly, just to the two of them, and I do not know what she said and I did not ask and it is not mine to know. Whatever it was, it was between Babcia Rose and her great-grandchildren, and Owen and Nora, for their part, were completely still, which they almost never are simultaneously.

Ryan ate three plates of food and called it the best Easter of his life, which I suspect he says every year but which he said with enough conviction that I believe he means it this year specifically. I ate two plates while holding Nora with one arm and steering my fork with the other, which is my new dining style. I had planned to mind this. I find I do not.

I made one contribution to the Easter table: a potato and egg casserole that I assembled the night before and refrigerated so I only had to bake it in the morning. Aldi potatoes, eggs from the half-dozen carton, shredded cheese, a can of cream of mushroom soup. It is not a fancy dish. It fed eight people. Patty asked for the recipe and then told me it reminded her of something her mother made, which is the highest compliment a casserole can receive.

If you’re going to show up to your first Easter as a parent — twin newborns in tow, running on whatever counts as sleep these days — you need something that is already done before the morning starts. This egg bake was that thing for me: assembled the night before, slid into the refrigerator, and asking nothing of me on Easter morning except that I remember to turn on the oven. It’s humble, it’s flexible, it feeds more people than you expect it to, and when Patty asked me for the recipe and said it reminded her of something her mother made, I quietly decided it had earned a permanent spot on every holiday table we ever set.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes (plus overnight refrigeration if making ahead) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb baby potatoes, thinly sliced (or 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced)
8 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup diced bell pepper (any color)
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Cooking spray or butter, for greasing

Instructions

Prep the baking dish. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
Layer the potatoes. Arrange the sliced or diced potatoes in an even layer across the bottom of the prepared dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add the vegetables. Scatter the diced bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and chopped spinach evenly over the potato layer.
Mix the egg base. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream of mushroom soup, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until smooth and fully combined.
Assemble the casserole. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables and potatoes. Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded cheddar over the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight, or proceed immediately to baking.
Preheat and bake. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while the oven heats. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.
Finish with cheese. Uncover the casserole, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over the top, and return to the oven uncovered for an additional 18–20 minutes, until the eggs are fully set in the center and the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm directly from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garden Veggie Egg Bake — The Make-Ahead Casserole That Fed Eight and Won a Compliment Worth More Than Any Trophy